


Stars in the Night Sky

by wintersquay



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22811224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintersquay/pseuds/wintersquay
Summary: Clara Oswald is a mystery. An enigma. A stranger who keeps appearing in his life. Stuck on Earth, the 11th Doctor decides to uncover to find out who she is, once and for all. He goes to work at Coal Hill Secondary School as new English teacher, 'John Smith', where he meets the fiery Miss Oswald. The pair are inexplicably drawn together and soon become quite the pair. After they discover more about one another, will they grow closer or further apart?
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor & Clara Oswin Oswald, Eleventh Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	1. Morning Meeting

Marking work. It seemed endless. The ever-growing pile of exercise books sat on Clara Oswald’s desk, staring her down. She knew she had to get it done, but every fibre of her being wanted to run. It’s not that she didn’t enjoy marking. In fact, she found it quite entertaining once she got into it, especially her year 8 gifted and talented class, but right now, all Clara wanted was something new. Something different. Something to disrupt the uniformity of her life. And her life wasn’t bad, it was just… ordinary.

On Monday, Clara went in early to attempt to tackle the mountain of marking before lessons began. The sky outside was still dark since it was early winter. The young teacher sat down behind her wooden desk and rubbed her hands together, struggling for scraps of warmth. Defeated, she got up and walked over to the old window on the other side of the classroom. The woman bent down to the radiator below the white windowsill, paint flaking off under her gentle touch, and turned the dial to the max, allowing a flood of heat to engulf the empty classroom. She stood up and gazed at the sky above. The closer she looked the more intrigued she was. The sky looked like spilt ink, the dark hues of black intertwining with the deep purples and blues. The stars dotted across in silvers and whites. Clara was lost in thought and didn’t hear the footsteps approaching her classroom.

“Beautiful, aren’t they,” a foreign voice called out to her. Clara whipped around to see the figure stood at her classroom’s door. A man, dressed in a purple tweed coat was leaning against the threshold of the door, his floppy brown hair pushed back out of his eyes. He smiled at her; his poignant cheekbones sharp as a knife. “The stars,” He said before looking back out of the door displaying his chiselled jaw. He used his shoulder to clumsily push himself back to a standing position and walked over to where the petite woman was stood.  
“Hi, I’m John. John Smith. I’m new. It's my first day, and all that jazz.” He extended the palm of his hand for her to shake. She took it and looked up at him.

“Nice to meet you, Mr Smith.” Clara retorted.

“Actually, you can just call me, ‘The Doctor’.” He replied, quickly.

“‘The Doctor?’ Nah, that’s not it. How about… chin-boy?”

“Chin-boy? That’s a bit rude, isn’t it? Do you just go around pointing out prominent features on people like that? I could be really sensitive!”

Clara nodded understandingly. “Chin-boy it is.”

“Well, I guess the name has officially stuck. I mean, I would prefer ‘Doctor’, but as long as you only call me…”

“Chin-boy.” Clara filled in, smirking at his rose-tinted cheeks.

“Yes, that. As long as you only call me that when it’s just us, then I don’t see the problem with that, Mrs…?”

“Oswald. Clara Oswald. And it’s Miss, not Mrs.”

“Oh, sorry,” the Doctor said, stumbling over his words, “I just assumed… the ring.”

“Easy mistake, but no,” Clara said looking down at her hand, twisting the ring around her finger as a form of self-comfort. It was a habit she’d developed just after her mother had passed away.

“It was my mother’s ring.”

The Doctor’s eyes widened in realisation. “Oh, goodness. Clara, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-.”

Clara smiled at his sensitivity. She got up on her tiptoes and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Chinny, it’s alright. It shows you’re observant. I like that in a man.” She winked at him.

His face flushed scarlet for a moment, a combination of the close proximity and physical contact. He wasn’t used to people being so upfront with him. They looked at each other momentarily before Clara dropped back onto her heels, a soft clicking noise coming from her foot. The younger woman took a step back and sized him up. His outfit intrigued her. The first thing she noticed was the ridiculous midnight blue bowtie, placed clumsily in the middle of his off-white button-up. Over the top of this, he wore a lilac waistcoat, buttoned all the way up. To add further bulk to himself, he had a long purple tweed jacket, a silvery chain draped from one pocket. Attached to the chain was a silver pocket watch covered in strange symbols. It peaked out of the top of one pocket. His trousers were plain and ordinary; black, ¾ length. Further down were his shoes. Old, battered, brown brogue boots. ‘Travelled’ was the word she’d use to describe them.

“Ahh, Miss Oswald. Here you are.” Came a man’s voice from outside of her class. She turned her head to see the headmaster, Frank Armitage, stood waiting for her.

“Good morning, Mr Armitage,” she said politely.

“Good morning to you too,” he replied. He cast his attention over to the Doctor, who was stood awkwardly beside Clara.

“Mr Smith! Good morning.”

The Doctor gave Frank an awkward greeting salute before dropping his hand and internally scolding himself. Clara stifled her giggle after noticing the distraught look on his face.

“Glad to see you’ve met Clara,” Mr Armitage said to the Doctor. “She’s one of our best, you know!”

“One of!?” Clara said, feigning hurt.

The older man laughed heartily at her joke before continuing. “Briefing starts at eight,” he said. “Would you mind showing the Doctor the way?”

“Not at all,” Clara said, looking over at the Doctor, who was busy inspecting the writing etched into one of the desks nearby.

With that, Mr Armitage left, his footsteps echoing down the empty hallway. Clara spun around and cleared her throat, grabbing the Doctor’s attention.

“Come on then, Chin boy. Let’s head out.”

The Doctor looked down at his wristwatch, confused. “But Mr Armitage said 8 am. It’s only 7:30!”

Clara looked over at her pile of marking. “You’re right.” She turned back to him, “But I’m procrastinating… heavily, and you’re new, so I’m going to give you the CliffsNotes tour of our amazing facilities here at Coal Hill. Sound alright to you, chinny?

“I guess,” said the Doctor as he stood up to his full height and ran his hand through his hair.

“Good then. Let’s go.” Clara gestured for the Doctor to go ahead of her. He passed her and opened the door for her.  
‘Cute,’ Clara thought to herself, ‘even if he is a bit clumsy. He’s kinda sexy and seems quite nice.’ Clara realised what she was thinking, and promptly shook the thought away.

\--

The pair walked down the corridor, side by side. The only sound was their soft breathing. That, and the clicking of their heels on the worn tile flooring.

“So,” Clara said, bored of the tension between them. “What subject do you teach?”

“Well,” the Doctor said, pondering his answer, “I used to be a Science teacher… at one point at least, but now I’m an English teacher.”

“Multi-talented, aren’t you chinny.”

“Well,” the Doctor said, shrugging his shoulders, “What can I say. I’m a fast learner.”

“Hm,” Clara said, raising an eyebrow. She smirked and dropped her gaze to the floor.

“What about you?” the Doctor asked, genuinely intrigued in what she had to say.

“Same. I’m an English teacher too.”

“So, I guess we’ll be working closely together then, eh, Miss Oswald.”

“Indeed, Mr Chin-boy,”

“You’re really set on this nickname, aren’t you?”

Clara halted. The Doctor spun on his left heel to face her. She had her hands on her hips, a smirk plastered on her face. “Yes. Deadset, in fact.”

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but Clara was faster. “This way, Chinners.”

Clara turned the corner and the Doctor followed, smiling broadly at his new college.

\--

“And this,” Clara said, opening the door for the Doctor. He nodded politely as he walked past her, “Is the staff room.”

“Nice,” the Doctor said, swivelling his head to and fro, trying to take in the entire room. 

“Very orange, isn’t it.”

“What’s wrong with orange?” Clara asked, affronted.

The Doctor whipped around and noticed she was wearing a pastel orange jumper. “Oh, I-.” He stuttered out.

“Honestly, you need to calm down, Chinny. I’m messing with you. You really are awkward, aren’t you?” Clara said, brushing her arm against his.

Even this minimal physical contact caused him to turn scarlet red. He clasped his hands behind his back and dropped his head to the floor. Clara was ready to say something to ease the tension between them. She couldn’t decipher what it was about him, but he intrigued her. Just as she had opened her mouth to speak, the wooden door creaked open, grabbing both of their attentions. 

“Ms Oswald, you’re here!”

“Yep,” Clara said, avoiding eye contact with the man stood in front of them.

“Only, I thought you’d quit, after-” the man stuttered out, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Well, I didn’t, so that’s the end of it.”

The man in the door walked over and stood beside the Doctor.

“Danny Pink, Maths Department,” He said, extending his arm out to the Doctor. The Doctor grasped the man’s hand firmly, ever increasing the pressure as he spoke. “John Smith, English Department.” 

The door swung open again and the Doctor dropped Danny’s hand. The maths teacher rubbed his hand sorely as a smirk appeared on Clara’s face. ‘Not just a pretty face, huh?’ she thought to herself. She made eye contact with the Doctor and he winked at her before turning his head back to the flood of teachers entering the room. The last to enter was Mr Armitage.

“Good morning everyone. Lovely to see you all after summer.”

The crowd of teachers mumbled indistinctive pleasantries at the headmaster.

“Now, let’s get to business,” The headmaster said. “First order of business, Miss Oswald, any news on your Year 8 Gifted and Talented class?”

“They’ve all made progress in their literacy skills, but Maebh is still struggling to focus.”

Frank nodded at Clara. “And Mr Pink, how is it looking on your end?”

“Same report as Miss Oswald,” Danny said.

“Perhaps it would be beneficial to the students if the pair of you worked together to plan lessons so that both of your lessons could focus on the student’s weak areas. Is that alright with you?” Mr Armitage asked.

Clara opened her mouth to protest before shutting it. “Yes, sir.” She said begrudgingly.

“Great!” Mr Armitage responded. “Mr Pink?”

“Fine with me.” He said.

Clara glared at Danny. She knew that somehow; it was his fault. The man avoided her gaze, but he felt the heat of her stare burning his cheek.

\--

The meeting continued on for half an hour before Frank Armitage got to his final point. “And finally,” he said. “I would like to introduce you to our new English teacher, Mr Smith.”

The Doctor spun around to face the rest of the teachers as smiled broadly at them. “Hi, everyone!” he said brightly.

A mixture of greetings erupted from the crowd from everyone except Mr Pink.

“Yes, yes,” Frank said. “I hope you all make Mr Smith feel very welcome here at Coal Hill, especially you in the English department. Mr Davies, Miss Oswald. I mean you two.”

Clara looked over at her colleague, Adrian Davies. After making eye contact, they laughed awkwardly. Mr Armitage looked down at his watch.

“Oh! Would you look at the time! You lot, get to your classrooms. We have assembly soon.”

Frank called Clara over for a quick word. “The Doctor will shadow you for week or so. Just long enough so he gets into the routine of things. Are you ok with that?” He asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

“Yeah, Frankie. That’s fine with me.”

“Listen, Clara, you know I love you like a daughter.”

“Yeah…” she trailed off.

“Well I heard about what happened with you and Mr Pink, and I just wanted to say-.”

“No,” Clara said interrupting him.

“No?” he asked.

“No. We aren’t going to talk about it, okay?”

“Okay, Clara. But If you do want to talk about it-.”

“Out.”

“Alright, alright. I’m going!”

Frank squeezed Clara’s arm, and walked out of the room. He presumably returned to his office before assembly. The teachers in the staff room began to form a crowd and gossip, intermittently looking over at Clara who was now stood at the door by herself. 

“Doc,” She whispered. Danny must have heard her and presumed she was calling him since it looked like he was about to approach her. She let out a small squeak and backed away.   
This squealing noise attracted the Doctor’s attention. He turned away from the group and looked at Clara who was now halfway out of the door and panting, heavily. He could tell that she had gone pale, and there was a thin coat of sweat covering her forehead. She gestured for him to come over and he sped towards her. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him out of the door. 

“What’s that all about!?” He asked.

Students were flooding the hallways, making their ways to their form rooms. A couple of students had witnessed Clara’s acquisition of the Doctor and were staring, perturbed. She smiled at them and began to walk down the corridor, hastily, the Doctor following behind. She took a sharp turn and opened a door. It wasn’t a classroom door; it was too small. Before the Doctor had time to figure out what was happening, he was pushed into the tiny room. Clara stepped in behind him and closed the door, consequently shutting out all light. They stood, practically chest to chest in the pitch black. “Sorry,” she said, her breathing beginning to slow down. She reached over to the right of him and pulled on a cord, flooding the room with soft yellow light. The Doctor looked around and noticed the cleaning supplies.

“Clara,” he whispered. “Why are we in the supply cupboard?”

“I panicked!” she replied.

“Alright. Why did you panic?” He asked calmly.

“It’s all Danny’s fault!” Clara huffed in between laboured breaths, stepping closer to the Doctor, who fumbled backwards in response.

“Danny?” the Doctor repeated. “Mr Pink? The, uhhh… PE Teacher?” He guessed.

“Maths, and yeah,” Clara said.

“Ok, how is it his fault?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Clara mumbled, still attempting to catch her breath.

“Alright,” he said gently, grabbing her hands in his.

“Uh, Frank said that you should shadow me for the week at least, until you get into the routine of things. You’ll have your own classes by next week, but I'll still sit in on your lessons. Make sure you don’t screw up.”

“Mmhmm,” the Doctor said, his large rough hands caressing her soft dainty ones. “What’s the time?” He asked, his voice undemanding.

“You’re the one with the pocket watch,” she said as she nodded towards his pocket.

He looked down at the watch in his pocket and quickly dismissed it. “It doesn’t work. My dad gave it to me broken. I never got around to fixing it.”

The Doctor released Clara’s hands and she pulled her phone out of her pocket. “8:35 am.”  
“Ok, Clara. You stay here for a couple of minutes. Take a breather. Calm down. All students should be in their form rooms, right?”

Clara nodded.

“Right, so I’ll go and keep them focused until you get there.” The Doctor backed out of the cupboard and shut the door behind him. He began to walk down the empty hallway when he heard footsteps behind him. On instinct, he spun on his heel to face the source of the noise. It was Clara.

“Oi. I thought I told you to stay in there.”

“Oh. I didn’t listen.” She said, regaining her confidence.

“You seem the type to do that a lot.” The Doctor took a step towards Clara. Presumably, he wanted to intimidate her but all it did was fuel the fire set in her stomach.

“That’s why you like me.” She said as she further closed the gap between them with a small step. Their faces were mere inches apart.

“Who said I like you?” he asked confidently.

In that split second, Clara decided that she was going to take charge of her life. She didn’t want another failed workplace relationship. Not in the slightest. It was embarrassing enough with Danny being everywhere she looked after what happened between them. Even though it happened a while ago, the news had spread like wildfire amongst the staff recently, reopening old wounds. Clara had officially sworn off of mixing work with pleasure. But there was something about the Doctor. That man. She was drawn to him, and him to her. She could feel it. So, she did something absurd. After knowing this strange man for little over an hour, she kissed him. She knew it was probably a bad idea, but she couldn’t help herself. She kissed his stupid face.

It wasn’t gentle or fragile. It wasn’t soft or restrained. It certainly wasn’t what she expected it to be. It was passionate and rough, and it sent shivers down her spine.  
At first, the Doctor didn’t know what to do. In fact, his eyes widened in surprise. He couldn’t decide whether to push her away or to pull her closer to him. So, while Clara’s hands raked through the Doctor’s hair, his flailed about beside him. Then, he saw the onlookers. A handful of teachers were stood at the staffroom door staring at Clara and the Doctor in shock. That’s when it changed for him. A split-second decision was all it took to change things between them, forever. He closed his eyes, and he kissed her back. The Doctor placed his right hand on her cheek and his left on the back of her head. The kiss grew. It became rougher and more desperate. The Doctor had his hands tangled in her silky dark hair and Clara was enjoying every second of it. That which was only a few seconds felt like an eternity to them both. Slowly, he pulled away from her, his chest heaving.

“I think you just did,” Clara said cheekily. The petite woman dropped her hands from the back of his head to rest on his shoulders.

“You kissed me!” The Doctor exclaimed.

“You kissed me back,” She replied quickly, a smile growing on her face.

The realisation of what he had done dawned on the Doctor and he felt his face begin to feel hot. Noticing him becoming more flustered, Clara piped up once again.

“And you blushed.” Clara reached a hand up to his mouth and wiped away the pinkish stain she had left on and around his lips with her thumb.

“And with…” The Doctor placed a finger on her lips. “This…” He took her arm from off his shoulder. “Shut up.” He spun around and straightened his cheesy bowtie and walked off down the hallway.

Clara watched him go and giggled to herself, a grin plastered on her face. What Clara hadn’t realised, as she’d had her back to the room, was that Danny Pink was stood in the threshold of the staff room staring at Clara. The look on his face suggested that he had witnessed Clara’s entire interaction and was jealous. ‘His loss. His fault.’ She thought to herself as she ran a hand through her hair in a meagre attempt to catch the stray hairs. She ran off after the Doctor, passing by Danny without a second glance. She caught up with the dark-haired man less than a few feet later.   



	2. Emotionally Drained

The Doctor’s head was scrambled. He sat in the back of Clara’s Year 11 Form Class – 11C. The hands of the clock were slowly counting down to assembly. He watched as the seconds passed, anxious to get Clara alone. He just needed to talk to her. He wanted to try and clear things up between them. Hearing the soothing tick of the clock overhead, the Doctor began to zone out. He was obviously enthralled with Clara.

The first time they met, she was trapped in the Dalek asylum and she’d died. Oswin Oswald, she’d called herself. The second time they met, she was a nanny in Victorian England… or a barmaid. He’d never really had the opportunity to ask because once again, she died. Eventually, he tracked her down to Coal Hill in 2013 and decided to go and uncover what was happening after all. Twice he’d heard her say the same thing: ‘Run You Clever Boy, And Remember.’ What could it mean and why did she keep saying it? Also, why did she keep on dying!? She did it more than Rory! Many questions about her flooded his head. Clara’s continual deaths weren’t the only aspect of Clara on his mind. Their recent kiss kept replaying over and over in his head, stirring something within him. It wasn’t that he regretted the kiss itself. It was more like he regretted how he’d handled it. His bumbling about and indecisiveness made sure there was just that hint of awkwardness between them. He wished he could just go and grab her right now and show her that he was more than just a fumbling awkward giraffe-man. But that would be inappropriate considering they were in a classroom filled to the brim with minors.

“Doctor?” Clara said, derailing the Doctors’ train of thought. He looked up and noticed the classroom was now empty bar him and Clara. The short woman was stood in front of him. He glanced up at the clock. 9 am. Assembly. 

“Did you hear a word I just said?” She asked, hands placed on her hips.

“Yes, of course I did!” The Doctor said, getting to his feet. She cocked her head at him, scolding him in silent. “Okay, no I didn’t.”

“Something on your mind?” She asked as she perched on the edge of the nearby desk.

“Yeah, there is.” The Doctor said, slowly approaching her. 

“You wanna talk about it? I mean, it is your assembly but if you need to get it off your chest, I’m here for you.” Clara said, quickly glancing out of the small window of the shut door. The corridor was seemingly empty and if her and the Doctor were late to assembly, oh how the rumour mill would turn. That really was the last thing she needed in her current state. But there she was. Once again, alone with this strange, intriguing, handsome man and she was itching to know more about him.

“I think,” he said as he got nearer and nearer to Clara, his mind racing. “It would be best to get it out of my head.”

Clara’s breathing slowed. Around them, the tension was building. It was looming, heavy and thick in the air. To her, it felt as if it could be cut as easily as butter with a sharp knife. Clara felt a familiar swirling in her stomach, a sensation she hadn’t felt in a while.

“And how would you go about that?” Clara asked, leaning back slightly as she slid her hands back and sat properly on the desk. The Doctor stood directly in front of her, no more than three inches away.

“I think,” the Doctor leaned towards Clara, shortening the distance between them. “Like this.” Taken off guard, Clara’s breath hitched. As if in slow motion the Doctor’s lips edged closer to hers. 

She could feel his lips gently graze hers for a second and they were gone again. Clara opened her eyes and saw the Doctor staring down at her, his green eyes darker than ink. He gently placed his left index finger under her chin and tilted her head up. The anticipation flooded Clara as the Doctor re-approached her face. The Doctor was feeling significantly more confident than the last time they had kissed. He kissed Clara lightly, gaining his bearings. Passion and lust coursed through the Doctor’s veins. His hearts were pounding so ferociously he was certain Clara could hear them. He wasn’t one to just throw caution to the wind. Well… he was, but just not like this.

Clara was completely taken aback. Of course she thought he was hot, and of course she’d noticed most of the female teachers fawning over him. Come to think of it, there were quite a few male teachers around him too. The woman who was always calm, collected, flirty and composed didn’t really know what to do with herself. All she knew was that she wanted to be closer to him.

Pure instinct took over her as she leant closer to the tall man shadowing her, wrapping her legs around him, simultaneously pulling him closer. She felt the Doctor remove his finger from under her chin. Her body shivered as it snaked over her cheekbone before finding its landing point at the back of her head. His right hand had travelled down the side of Clara’s body, his palm tracing the curve of her frame. Her back arched in response to his gentle but firm touch. His hand rested at her hip and stayed there for a few seconds before manoeuvring to the small of her back. He used that hand to bring her body closer to his. Clara gasped, allowing the Doctor to deepen the kiss. He pulled back slightly before speaking.

“Tell me to stop,” He mumbled against her lips.

“Do you want to?” Clara asked breathlessly, maintaining the proximity to him. She brought slid her hands down his back to his bum and brought it towards her, desperate for contact. The Doctor let out a soft moan in response.

“No.”

Clara kissed him harder than before. The Doctor’s tongue traced the seam of her lips, asking permission rather than forcing entry. She gladly obliged. It felt as if her body had a mind of its own as her hips inched closer to his. The Doctor was tempted to climb on top of Clara right there but wisely decided against it.

Instead, he pulled away from Clara, leaving her sat there, astonished. The Doctor had to stop before he went too far. His chest was heaving. His lips were plump and stained with pink lipstick. He removed his hand from her hair and reached behind her, placing his hand on the table. Making up his mind, he moved his head towards Clara once again who, on instinct, tilted it backwards. Instead of heading for her lips, he diverted his attention to the right side of her neck.

The Doctor used his middle finger to sweep Clara’s hair out of the way, tucking it behind her ear. He planted a few small kisses on his chosen spot before nibbling and sucking at it. It began to pink under his lips. Clara writhed atop the table, biting down on her lip to stop a moan of pleasure escaping. Her right hand moved to the back of his head as she clutched his hair in her hand, edging him on. The other moved to his shoulder, gripping it tightly as if she feared falling through the floor or suddenly flying away. Clara shut her eyes, focusing in the moments of ecstasy she was experiencing.

Suddenly, the rattle of the doorknob shocked them both back into reality. Clara’s eyes snapped open and she attempted to sit up straight but was blocked by the body of the guy leaning over her. She dropped her legs from his back and ran a hand through her hair, trying to trap any stray hairs. Thinking fast, the Doctor reached behind Clara for a pen on the desk. The door opened and a familiar figure entered the room. 

“Ah, here’s the little fella!” The Doctor said as he stood up straight, shaking the pen in his hand, his back to the door. Clara looked at the Doctor and noticed the lipstick stain she’d left. With a quick raising of her eyebrows, the Doctor got the message and moved his hand up to his bottom lip and swiped it across. The Doctor turned around to see Danny Pink stood in the threshold of the room. “Oh, hi there, Mr Pink.” The Doctor sat beside Clara on the table, his hand secretly rested on the small of Clara’s back. The gesture of comfort was small but well needed and she was truly thankful for it.

“Hello, Doctor.” Danny replied. “Clara.” The tone of his voice suggested that he thought there was something more than what meets the eye going on between the Doctor and Clara. “Frank asked me to do a quick sweep, make sure everyone’s at assembly to meet you. You need me to show you where it is?” 

The Doctor looked over at Clara, as if asking her permission.

“You go ahead. I’ve got to catch up with my marking. Besides, I’ve already met you.”

The Doctor got to his feet before a thought crossed his mind. He nimbly slipped his watch off of his wrist and silently placed it on the table. The time lord left the room with Danny before realising he ‘forgot’ something. The Doctor patted his pockets then sighed causing Danny to turn around.

“I’ll be just a second, Danny boy. I left my watch inside.”

The Doctor walked back into Clara’s classroom. She was already sat at her desk and looked up at the sound of the squeaking door. He quickly swiped his watch off the table and headed for Clara. He walked around to her side of the desk and spun her around on the chair. He put one hand on the desk, got closer to her and whispered in her ear, “It’s definitely done like that.” The feeling of his breath on her earlobe sent shivers down Clara’s spine. He moved away from her and walked to the door. Clara kept him in her eyesight, waiting for him to turn around. As he placed his hand on the cold doorknob, he turned his neck to speak, “Oh, and by the way, I left you a gift.” He tapped his neck twice and left the room.

Clara’s hand traced the underside of the mahogany wooden desk until the drawer stopped it. She reached in and pulled out her phone. The black screen acted as a mirror and she caught sight of the spot on her neck the Doctor had treated himself to. Quickly, she opened the front camera and angled it to get a better view of the mark. The Doctor had given her a love bite. She dropped the phone on the table and lightly traced the mark with her finger. Clara dropped her head onto the desk, her hands cushioning the fall. Slowly, she lifted her head and caught sight of the marking on her desk. Clara pulled the top book off of the pile and dragged it towards her. The thought of the Doctor flooded her head and she beamed.

“Shit!” She said, opening the book to begin marking.

\--

“Got it,” the Doctor said waving the watch at Danny. He slipped it onto his wrist, the cold links grazing his skin. The two men began walking down the corridor towards the gym.

“So…” Danny said, breaking the silence between them, “What did I interrupt there?”  
The Doctor’s eyes widened quickly as he came up with a lie. “What? With Miss Oswald!?”

“Yeah,” Danny said, “I may be an idiot but I’m not oblivious!”

“How are you an idiot?” The Doctor asked. Danny gulped and didn’t answer. “Oh,” the Doctor said in realisation. “It’s about what happened between you and Clara. That’s why you think you’re an idiot.”

Danny nodded.

“What even happened, man?” the Doctor asked, placing a hand on Danny’s shoulder.

“Let’s just say that I made a stupid mistake and I’m gonna regret it for the rest of my life.

“Wow, that bad, huh?”

“That bad.”

The pair stopped outside of the door to the gym. The Doctor dropped his hand from Danny’s shoulder and they both silently slipped into the back of the hall, careful not to make a noise. 

\--

The Doctor led Clara’s class back to her room, where she sat waiting. Her hand nervously traced the red spot on her neck wishing her Year 11 class would be oblivious. However, at their age, it was very unlikely they wouldn’t notice. Upon realising this, Clara Oswald made a mental note to get the Doctor back for not only leaving the hickey on her neck like a teenager, but for turning her on and not following through (even though she knew it was the right choice since they were practically strangers, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with). She couldn’t tell if it was love or lust. Maybe it was something in between but Clara definitely intended to find out.  
After instructing the class to line up outside of the classroom, the Doctor went in, pulling the door too behind him. Clara, who was finishing handing out exercise books on the table looked up from her task. Upon seeing the Doctor, she stood up straight and folded her arms.

“May I help you?”

“No, but I think I can help you,” the Doctor said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a pastel orange ascot and passed it to Clara. Perplexed, she took it from him and wrapped it around her neck, tying it in a neat knot.

“How’s it look?” She asked as she hooked a finger inside of the ascot, loosening it slightly.

“Good,” he replied walking closer to her. He clutched the ends of the ascot and straightened it. They both felt the increased beat of their hearts. “Class is waiting for you outside, Miss Oswald.”  
Clara cleared her throat and walked past the Doctor. She opened the door and ushered her class in. As she closed the door behind the last student, she caught the eye of Danny Pink, stood in the hallway. He winked at her; a cheeky smile plastered on his face, lighting up his dark features. If looks could kill, Danny’s lifeless body would hit the cold tile flooring in the hallway. Sat in the corner of the room, the Doctor looked up from his notepad on the desk and smiled brightly at Clara, his lime green eyes twinkling. A wave of calm washed over Clara.

“Morning class,”

“Good morning, Miss Oswald,” the class chorused back.

“As you all may know, this is Mr Smith. He will be sitting in on your lessons for the week so get used to seeing his face.”

Her class turned around simultaneously to stare at the man huddled in the corner. He looked back, confidence radiating from him. They muttered their hello’s politely before turning back to their teacher. She sat at her desk waiting patiently. Once she had set their work, Clara glimpsed over at the Doctor who was helping a student. Feeling the burning of her gaze, he looked over at her, winking discretely before going back to assisting the student sat in front of him.


	3. Two Helpful Phone Calls

Sat on a cushioned velvet sofa in one of the many rooms in the TARDIS, the Time Lord from Gallifrey was on the phone with his best friend, Amy Pond. She was a fiery woman with the orange hair to match. Her legs were longer than most men knew how to handle, and her skin was as pale as a vampire’s. Her Scottish blood would explain her vampiric appearance. He sat on the sofa comfortably, only semi dressed. His blazer and waistcoat were hanging up on the coat rack far away at the entrance along with his heavy boots. His bowtie had been unravelled and was handing loosely around his neck, the top button undone. The sleeves on his shirt had been ruffled and folded and pushed up his arms, ending just above his elbows.

“Pond!” He exclaimed as his best friend picked up the phone.

“Doctor,” she replied, her Scottish accent thick. She, herself was sat on her sofa. In the background, her husband could be heard clattering about in the kitchen. The Doctor smiled as the image of his friends appeared in his head.

“So, what can I do for you, raggedy man?” Amy asked.

“What do you mean?” the Doctor asked taken aback slightly.

“You only call me when you need something, so what is it?”

“Amy!” He said indignantly, “That isn’t true. I called you just last week!”

“The last time you called was three months ago.”

“Well, it’s not my fault I’m a time traveller!”

There was a moment of silence between the pair before they both fell into uproarious laughter.

“So then, what’s up?” Amy asked.

“It’s kind of hard to explain.”

“Ooh, that’s even better,” Amy said shuffling around on the sofa.

“What’s that rustling noise, Pond?” the Doctor asked.

“I’m getting comfortable! Sounds like you have a juicy tale to tell!”

“Alright. So, remember the Dalek Asylum. There was a woman who crash landed.”

“Umm,” Amy said as she racked her brain for a name, “Soufflé girl. Oswin!”

“Yeah, that’s right.” The Doctor said, still figuring out how he was going to explain it to Amy.

“But she died, remember, she was a Dalek. You told us that.”

“I did, because she did.”

“Okay so what does she have to do with it?” Amy asked.

“Well, after you and Rory decided to go domestic after Manhattan, I went to Victorian London to be with Strax, Jenny and Vastra.”

“Ok, Doctor. What does this have to do with anything because if you’re just trying to make me feel bad--.”

“Just be patient and listen,” the Doctor interjected. “As I was saying, I met a barmaid. There were snowmen and a memory worm. It was a whole thing. Anyway, turns out she was also a nanny to these rich kids and the governor fancied her. There was an ice nanny and the Great Intelligence, and I was Sherlock Holmes. Well, to cut a long story short, her name was Clara Oswald… and she died on Christmas day in Victorian England.”

“Wait a second,” Amy said, the gears in her brain beginning to turn. “Oswald? As in Oswin Oswald?”

“Yes.” The Doctor said.

“Okay, so the lady in the dalek asylum is the same person as the barmaid/nanny in Victorian England?

“Yep.” He replied bluntly.

“But she died… She died twice?” Amy asked, her mind racing with questions.

“Indeed.” He was running out of ways to say yes.

“I forget how crazy your life can be!”

“Oh, this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“So, I figured that it wasn’t a coincidence that I met her twice and there had to be another… incarnation of her. So, I tracked her down and now I work in a school.”

“Oh my god, who put you in charge of a classroom full of minors!” She scoffed.

“Hey, I’m great with kids.”

“No, Doctor. You are a kid.”

“Eh, same difference. We bond. It’s all cool.” The Doctor took a breath. He knew what he had to tell her next and wasn’t looking forward to it.

\--

Clara Oswald was at home and bored out of her mind. As she laid atop her bed, her hand absentmindedly drifted up to the spot the Doctor had marked. She caressed it lightly as a smile appeared on her face. The events of that day replayed over and over in her head. When she blinked, she saw the way he looked at her when they pulled away from each other. In between each beat of her heart, the feeling of his lips on her flooded her mind. After every inhale, she recalled the feeling of his head buried in her neck. The schoolteacher sat up and reached for her phone on the bedside table nearby. She punched in a number and sat back while it rang.

Clara’s childhood best friend, Luna was minding her own business. She had just got home from work, her short, platinum blonde hair was spiking up. She was wearing a baggy navy-blue jumper which was tucked into her jeans. She was completely ready to get in the shower than go to sleep. Her sparkling green eyes were watering. Going to work running on 4 hours of sleep was not her best idea but it was an idea, nonetheless. The tall woman heard her phone ringing from her backpack. She sighed and went over to unzip the bag. The exhausted woman unzipped her back and picked up the phone.

“Hello?” Luna said into her phone.

“I did a stupid!” Came Clara’s voice from the other end of the line.

Luna feigned a sigh as she hid a small giggle. “Uh oh. What did you do now?”. Luna slipped out of her trainers and shuffled over to the sofa, all the while peeling of her thick jumper and dropping it onto the floor. She slumped down onto the sofa and sighed a sigh of satisfaction. 

“Ok, but you’re not allowed to get mad at me, okay Luna?”

“When have I ever?” she said. Luna was greeted by silence. “Okay fine. I promise.”

“Today, a new teacher started at Coal Hill.”

“Alright…”

“And I kissed him!”

“You WHAT!” Luna exclaimed, almost dropping her phone.

“It’s not my fault!”

“But you just said.”

“I know what I said, Luna!”

“Ok, so explain.” Luna was now in her bedroom and her bed was looking extremely enticing. She put the phone on speaker and placed it on her bed as she looked for her pyjamas.

“His name’s John, but everyone calls him ‘The Doctor’ and --.”

“What is he, a drug lord? An undercover cop?” Luna joked.

“Hey,” Clara said, a broad smile on her face. “Are you gonna let me tell you what happened or not?”

“Go ahead,” Luna said, pulling her soft, pyjama trousers up.

“So, he came into my classroom this morning, and I was distracted.”

“By?” came her friends voice.

“The stars,” Clara replied.

“Alright,” said Luna, “What happened next?”

—

“You did what!?” Amy shouted down the phone, startling the Doctor.

“Why are you so shocked?” The Doctor asked, a hint of offence in his voice.

“I just can’t believe you kissed her. No. Even better. You made out with her! In a classroom!”

“Yes, Amy. I was there.”

“Ok well what’s next, Doctor?” Amy asked, settling back into her cushioned sofa.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll put it like this,” Amy explained. “Do you fancy her?”

The Doctor paused for a second, considering his answer. On the one hand, he definitely knew he found Clara attractive and enjoyed spending time with her, but on the other hand, he wanted to understand why he was so drawn to her and why she kept on appearing in his life. “I guess so,” He decided. 

Amy squealed with glee. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“No idea.” He replied bluntly.

“Here’s my advice. Get to know her for a while. Ask her on a date. Tell her you’re a time travelling alien and scare her off.”

“Was that... was that actual advice?” the Doctor asked, perplexed.

“I mean, the first two were definitely real advice. Not so much the last part.” Amy said as she suppressed a giggle.

“Alright, Pond. When do I get to the whole time travelling alien part?” 

“No clue. a that’s for you to figure out.” 

“Great.” He said. "Bye Amy."

"Call again soon." She said before tapping the 'end call' symbol.

The Doctor stood up and stretched out his body, a wave of exhaustion rushing through him. Unbuttoning his white shirt, he walked towards the dark hallway of the TARDIS with only one thought on his mind: Clara Oswald. His impossible girl.

**Author's Note:**

> truth be told, I'm not really sure how I feel about this fic, so if you do want an update please leave a kudos or whatever. anyway, have a good day and stuff. yeah :)


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